Hastings's mode of accounts, of its vouchers, checks, and counter-checks, your Lordships will have observed that the mode itself is past describing, and that the checks and counter-checks, instead of being put upon one another to prevent abuse, are put upon each other to prevent discovery and to fortify abuse.
Edmund Burke: “Hastings's mode of accounts, of its vouchers, checks, and counter-checks, your Lordships will have observed that the…”
Editor's note · Context
Burke describes the flawed accounting practices of Hastings, highlighting their role in facilitating corruption.
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